Mentoring Young People for the Future.

Female Engineers in Ireland

It is an undeniable fact of the marketplace that there are some careers that women simply do not pursue as fervently as their male counterparts. Typically, these careers are in mathematics and the sciences. The primary concern here is that these jobs are high paying and that if women do not get involved in them in greater numbers, there may always exist a pay gap with regard to gender.

That is why the Science foundation of Ireland has been working with successful educators to devise a way to encourage a greater interest in engineering for young women who live in Ireland. It is also a fact that the lack of participation of half of the population puts the country at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to global competitiveness.

Is this a problem everywhere? The answer is yes. There has always been a gender gap in the sciences and even in technology. Although, computer technology has reversed this trend a bit. But in Ireland the gap is a veritable canyon as girls don't seem nearly as interested in science and technology as boys. But is this a function of some kind of natural proclivity or simply the result of an institutional preference for male students? Really, women would rather work in currency market news than spend time in a lab.

What can be done? Organisations like the Science Foundation of Ireland try to encourage women from an early age to give fields like maths, science and engineering a try. When it comes to engineering, of course, the hard work begins at an early age. What we mean is that engineers almost always have a background or at least a talent for maths. So, if women don't gain that interest as girls, it is highly unlikely that they will go into engineering as adults.

The good news is that if young women do maintain an interest in engineering, there are many fine scholarships and grants they can apply for. In fact, most colleges and universities, both in Ireland and abroad, go out of their way to try to recruit qualified female engineering students.